The Son of a Bitch is dead, long live the son of a bitch!

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

So, the ruling absolute monarch of the major terrorist sponsor in the Arab states (and the United States' closest ally, naturally), is dead.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30945324

There was some speculation when the old son of a bitch was alive that the state might enter a succession crisis due to a surplus of third generation princes. Unfortunately the regime seems to be finding a way out of it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-saudis-just-gave-their-answer-to-the-dynasty-succession-crisis-2015-1

To me, the Saudi state is the worst possible combination of deliberate anachronism and ultra-modern innovation. It's one case where I would gladly watch it burn just to see the whole rotten lot of them swept into the garbage bin of history where they belong. That the United States props up one of the major citadels of the worst kinds of Judaeophobia and hardline Islamist extremism, and that this regime keeps on ticking, is also precisely why 'War on Terror' rhetoric falls apart when examined closely.To oppose terrorism and prop up Saudi Arabia is like trying to sift the ocean with a sieve.

So, in short, I hope the old king's rotting in Hell and I look forward to the next bastard joining him there.

Comments

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

In Hell he may well be, but with 72 virgins! (Of undisclosed gender!)

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

I imagine this whole diatribe is going to show up in some opposition newspaper as the official position of all Americans.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

Let's privatize the official position of all Americans!!1!

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

At least Talk_Politics will get some press.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

And the most hilarious ideas for societal organization, along with it!

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

To make this a little less ranty or tangent-ey, here's a mind experiment that has been occupying me from time to time. Let's dream for a while here and imagine what the scenario for gradual transformation and normalisation of the Saudi society (and many other Middle Eastern societies, as collateral) would look like. I mean long-term. Your thoughts?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Given the instability of the region and how it's continued to promote the rise of extremists with either official sanction or with their own financial supply system like ISIS, that requires the first difficult task of either ending the extremism in question or at least depriving it of credible military power. That transformation has to be both in the region and with the aid and abetting of the neo-colonialists. How to get there and make it stick is the first hurdle and it's one that I have not much clue with before the oil runs out.

[lai-choi-san.livejournal.com]

(Thank you, Underlankers, for this cathartic title !)

I like the timing, only two weeks after #JesuisCharlie. The hypocrisy of our Western politicians can't be more blatant. Two kinds of response to two kinds of terrorists : the ultra rich and the poor. This makes me wonder when the Muslims from all countries will realize that religion is in fact a tool of control between the hands of their old colonizers from Mecca.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

While I sympathize with the sentiment, I would have expected an advocate of realpolitik such as yourself to recognize that a crisis of faith in Saudi Arabia's central government would likely make the current situations in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen look positively rosy by comparison. I don't like it but even I can see how propping up King Abdullah was "smart diplomacy".

Now all that's left is to see who shows up for the funeral.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Just because it's a smart diplomatic move doesn't mean I'm not allowed to utterly hate the regime in question and wish it to pass on into that good night. That, in fact, is classical 19th Century attitudes.

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

I've heard it claimed that, relative to his culture, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was quite progressive and helped improve the overall situation at a pace that was sustainable for the region.

That doesn't make me feel warmly towards him, as it sets the bar quite low. However, I do wonder whether it's true that he was doing as much as he could given the nation he was responsible for.

Had Abdullah been a better person, perhaps even a die-hard lefty-liberal with a deep concern for social justice, what would he have been able to achieve more? Or would he perhaps have just over-extended and failed?

Had one of us been put into his role, how much could we have achieved to liberalise Saudi Arabia? Or would we have found ourselves trying to inch Saudi Arabia closer to our own ideals at a painfully slow pace?

All genuine questions by the way; I don't pretend to have a confident grasp on what the correct answers are.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

This page (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/etc/links.html) is getting long in the tooth, but it still outlines the complexity of the obstacles to progress.

[dexeron.livejournal.com]

What's frustrating are all of the American leaders stepping up and lauding praise on him for being such a "moderate."

Yeah, a moderate who led a nation that still doesn't allow women to drive and is in the process of lashing a guy 1000 times for blogging.

If that's a moderate, I'd hate to see an extremist.

(And yeah, I know our leaders have to say that, because America never met a tinpot dictator who did our bidding that we didn't like, until that dictator stops doing our bidding and then suddenly we notice that they're not leading a democracy and get all offended.)

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Eyes all over the world await the outcome of the current regime change.

"Saudi Arabia's new King Salman has announced a cabinet reshuffle, as well as bonuses for civil servants, students and pensioners. (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/new-saudi-king-announces/1625508.html)"

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Speaking with KaleidoScot, Alyn Smith, SNP Member of the European Parliament, explained why Scotland chose to react differently: “I thought the UK position bizarre, craven and cheap. Not least barely days after our PM was in Paris to support free speech he now descends on Riyadh to mark the passing of a man whose regime implacably opposed any such ideas.

“Of course, the reason is even more basic, money. The Saudi regime has over the years purchased countless billions of British bombs, tanks and guns and London is quite content to turn a blind eye to abuses of every value they claim to uphold.

“By contrast the Scottish government response, to express condolence but no more, is dignified, principled and proper. Our duty is to the Saudi people, not necessarily those in charge.”

http://www.kaleidoscot.com/scotland-not-fly-flag-half-mast-king-abdullah-2379

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Abdullah is Dead. ISIS has an opportunity to flip the Kingdom. Here's how. (http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2015/01/abdullah-is-dead-its-time-for-isis-to-take-the-war-south.html)

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Hey, we've got a history monthly topic now! Wanna do something about it? ;-)